13SRHK: House Rules and More

***The following notes are provided by CoLiving Space Provider SRHK for the information of her potential and existing tenants. Please note the following is self-explanatory. Bon Bon CoLiving is not responsible for any grammatical errors or meanings in vague. For inquiry, please contact us.***

House Rules

Why? We set “House rule” is more because for you rather than us. It is because if all tenants obey this, less trouble and argue between roommates. And if you never stay in HK before, you must have to know, it is specific to use in HK apartment.

1) Be considerate to next roommate; please clean up the used dishes, sink& kitchen after cooking immediately. Please use strainers in kitchen to prevent the drainage plugged andclog by food, and in shower to prevent long hairs plugged. It cost expensive price for repairing once pipe clog for high rise building in HK and you may need to bear this cost if find out it dues to you.

2) Please pay rent in advance. Under HK law, the rent should be pay in advance, and we provide first 7 days for grace period. After that, we will give notice. And we do not provide stamp duty service under our rooms. Late penalty $500 charge if overdue half months.

3) Becareful of the use of cooker; ensure it switch off after use.In order to keep home clean, please take kitchen rubbishoutside everyday (near the exit of stairs) to prevent cockroaches. It is not allow smoking inside apartment!Please close all windows tightly when no body in home, raining and typhoon!4) It is not allowed to leave the AC On if no people in room. Please use electric appliance properly, make sure it is turn off if no people use for energyconscious & safety. Especially for the air-con, water heater & fan, it needs take appropriate time to stopfor longer useful life. We will not responsible to repair if we found the problems are due to negligence (eg didn’t switch off ifnobody in room for some hours and caused serious damage).

5) In order to save resource, Please Switch Off if you are the ONE Switch On the electricity such as AC, light, water heater, fan etc in share area. To be sure no any electric appliance is switching on when nobody in home for safety.

6) When there is no water supply or electricity, Please check from the Building Management Office first to see whether it is due to the whole apartment building which is doing repairing or general regular checking instead of calling us immediately.

7) If there is small repairing such as light bulb broken or small water leakage etc if you can help, just try to fix, if you need buy small parts let me know first, and give me back receipts then. If we receive any problems regarding to repair or fix, except in urgent case, otherwise, we will do it around one month.

8) The mattress is not recommended to wash, so it is highly recommended using your own mattress protector/ mat/ pad on top of mattress to keep hygienically and clean. We provide one set for basic (it maybe not brand new) mattress, blanket/quilt, and mattress cover. We do not provide pillow. Please buy your own spare set. Please keep remain one set for us when you move out no matter you change ours or not.

9) Please slide the shower room door gentle and carefully if it makes of glasses.

10) It is not allow making hole on wall and door (due to damage & safety – there will be some cable, wire inside wall you not sure the position, painting damage and peel off), it is recommended to use removable 3M sticker. Damage Penalty on point 25.

11) The cleaning service is only for share area, eg living room, kitchen, washroom, not include to clean your used dishes, tidy up room, laundry & iron, we will clean you room only with unlock or door open (helper have no key of your room).

12) It is not allow letting strangers and neighbors to go in our apartment except with our permission.

13) Please do not take away or throw away the stuffs which is not belong to you. Thank you!

14) The Utilities is include in the rent subject to reasonable use, if we found there is unreasonable increase after you move in, we will send you notice to warning, if there is no any improvement, our housekeeper has the right to go in your room to check and help to switch off the electricity (especially AC). If it is exceed normal standard, we will ask you to pay extra utilities fee. Service charge for Vacant AC waste fee per time ($100).

15) It is prohibited to use AC & dehumidify to dry the clothes, we recommended you hang on for 1-2 days, and it will dry automatically. It is not an excuse using it to dry clothes for urgent need so you don’t switch off the AC if no people in room.

16) The Mail Box is unlock, Please only take the letters belong to you and keep all others letters remain in the mail box, so that previous tenant, landlord and me can collect our letters in mail box on time instead of go up apartment to check.

17) In order to make us more easier and efficient to look for next roommate, we will use spare key to show your room to potential rooomate starting from 1-2 months before your contract end (we will only give short notice (usually few hours) every time in advance, and you cannot say No). And please make sure your room is tidy and clean.

18) We will not responsible for any loss and damage of all your belonging in all different circumstance (like fire, robbery, water leakage, flooding etc). Please keep well and take good care of your important things and lock your room door if you don’t know very well of your roommates. We not include any insurance protection in the rent payment. You will need to buy you own “tenant insurance” if you have expensive stuffs in your room. Also you will have to bear the fee for Lock Smith if you loss the keys.

19) It is prohibited to go into your roommates room without their permission.

20) Please do not use kitchen and talk loud after 11pm except all roommates already agree.

21) AC air vent not allow covered by curtain when use. It makes AC broken.

22) Special attention to lady, It is not allow to let long hairs go into water pipe, if clog by hairs, water cannot go through the pipe, you will need pay for expensive repairs and fix fee. please use stainer all the time when shower, take the hair to the rubbish bin before you leave bathroom. Take extra care of the mattress and mattress pad, you can use your own one or some towel in your special days, please keep clean of our bed things, please clean yourself for period marks for hygiene and considerate next roommate use. Please do not throw special tissue or stuffs inside the toilet to prevent toilet flooding.

23) Break Lease: Both parties can break lease under the follow circumstance. If we think you pay rent late, and remind too many times but no improvement, or landlord requested us to give back apartment, we will give one month notice in advance to ask you move out. For roommates, if you are within the contract period, you must have to pay all rent for the whole contract period. If you leave earlier, you can let us know, we can help you to find replacement for deduct service fee from security deposit for advertising & arrange visitors work. If your room confirm pick by someone by less than 5 people visit deduct $1000, less than 10 people visit $1500, less than 15 people visit deduct $2000, We will give back you rent if the new replacement pay us the rent that is cover your lease period you paid. Otherwise, please find your replacement by yourself is fine. (subject approval for the new tenant by us).

24) Check out: Our lease term is monthly base, we do not count per number of days. If you leave earlier, there is no portion for the rent refund. You will need to pay whole month rent or your stated period term. Deposit will be given to you under the conditions that the room and furniture is as fine as original, no damage and there is no leftover in the common area. Please check point 25 for the service charge.

(we will simply do updated if any in here without notice will be given separately)

A) Ideal Roommate: You don’t need to worry too much for roommates can get along with or not in HK. It is because we all work too busy, especially long working hours in HK. You will have less than 6 hours time to see your roommates in a week for past data in general. It is because the cultural here we usually spend time out rather than stay in home. Eat out is cheaper and easier than cook. We gather outside rather than in home. Home we treat it as a sleeping place because apartment in HK are quite small. We are open in mind for you to look for new roommates if you know other rooms will be vacant soon. Please ask us the new monthly rent and lease period arrangement and do it before we find someone, because we will consider anyone make fast decision and match the move in date for our first priority.

B) Understand Your Roommates: Living together sometime is not easy, so try to understand your roommates personality and get along with each other. Because everyone comes from different countries so have different culture and living style, in order to respect each other privacy and keep quiet at night, we suggested please don’t talk loud and use kitchen after 11:00pm.

C) Energy Conservation: We include utilities bill in monthly rent is because we don’t want to have any unhappiness about whom paying less but use more problems between roommates. But on the other hand we find our roommates thinking of paying flat rate that mean they can use unlimited. So here we have to state that clearly utilities are subject to reasonable use. We are not allowed to turn on electricity especially AC when no people in home. Many roommates turn on AC and FAN at same time. It is prohibited as well, you do that will make two machine work in conflict, they both run extra hard and get two things broken easily. Please don’t use AC and humidify to dry clothes. We may ask you to pay extra for the bills if exceed normal use, and you will have to pay the repair fee if we suspected you use machine in wrong way. Also our house admin have the right to go in your room to switch them off. Thank you for co-operation.

D) Cleaning Service: Cleaning is general to keep home clean and weekly. Housekeepers will do basic cleaning only but not include tidying up messy rooms, iron, laundry, change bed sheets and clean the used dishes. The cleaning is for share area like Kitchen, Bathroom and Living room. They will clean your room floor only if your door is unlocked or open.

We provide this service once a week usually fixed time ( check the time on point E), but we cannot tell exactly on which date for their flexibly arrangement when something comes up sudden, other apartment get work sudden, move in move out, public holiday, helper sick, take leaves etc.

If you worry the helper use your cleaning stuffs please mark it on bottles, because they clean many apartments they cannot remember which one can use or not.

Please don’t ask and rush us why she not come today or when or on which date, and don’t need to message us to ask to clean your room (she clean over 50 rooms per week, she cannot remember for special service), we do not want our roommates leave extra workload to her (eg accumulated many used dishes and wait next day she come to clean). Please don’t rely on helper and keep home clean by yourself. Please clean the toilet immediately if you make dirt on it for hygiene and consider next one to use. If you know something is dirty if helper didn’t clean, please write it on a paper in English and stick on that area to remind her next time is fine. Don’t need message us.

E) Clean Time – house keeper name: Josie / Wifi name & password:

Bay view: (Sat 3-5pm) / Delink (dvcws65382)

Chee On: (Tue 2-5pm)/ Xiamo (12345678)

Cheong Ip: (Sat 2-5pm)/ yanyan (92077947)

Elizabeth House: (Mon 2-6pm)/ Dlink (09744844)

HK mansion 11/F: (Thur 3-8pm)/ Default (75443F9769B92)

HK mansion 22/F: (Thur 3-8pm)/ Dlink-07 (ujvwp39820)

East South: (Mon: 2-8pm)/ Xiamo (92077947)

Kwok Leung: (Mon 2-6pm)/ Xiamo (92077947)

Leishun: (Thur 2-6pm)/ Xiamo (92077947)

Phoenix: ( Wed 2-6pm)/ YanYan (92077947)

Pearl City: (Tue 2-8pm)/ tp link (44603151)

Yee On: (Tue 2-8pm)/ tp link (85058347)

cleaning time all subject to a bit time difference and date change when they take leaves or public holiday without any notice will be given. If you really care she clean your room ( simply stick a memo on your door to remind)

F) Laundry: regarding the washing machine, HK model is very small compare Europe, please check the mark on washing machine, e.g. 6kg/3kg, that’s mean washing max 6kg and dry only 3kg, please use correct amount of detergent and put it in correct places, please clean dust and drain every few months. Our washing machine some have dry function some without. We find our roommates always do washing compare local HK people and HK apartment is small we don’t have too much space for you to hang on, and we find there is some problems using hanger (Room is too small, even no space in living room, some use too much space in living room and some hang on bathroom) and we not allowed using AC and humidify to dry clothes to save resource. Also, laundry itself takes a lot of time and noisy, so you may easily bother other people use if you leave the clothes inside washing machine but go away. So we prefer you using Laundry Shop. There are so many shops just within few minutes walk, and it is very cheap around HK$30-40 for 1-7 lbs (subject to different shop). It saves a lot of your time. Please do not hang on underwear and bra in share area. If there is a problem, please email us instead of Whatsapp and please report clearly how is the problem and attached photos, don’t use just “broken” to mentioned, please don’t keep Whatsapp and rush us to fix. Please be patience and we will do it accordingly.

G) Bed sheet, Blanket or Quilt: We will have one basic set but it may not brand new subjects previous tenant how to use and clean. So we recommend you can buy your own spare set, we do not provide pillow. And we recommend you use your own mattress protector or pad on top of mattress to keep hygiene. Because we cannot wash mattress if anyone make dirt on it. Please keep the basic set in your room even you don’t use, and place it back when you move out. Lady please take extra care for mattress hygiene, please clean yourself if you make period marks.

H) Repairing and Maintenance: please check everything first, to be sure correctly report with photos attached is need, we will forward your photos to technician directly, please explain details what is the problem. Please don’t just say “somethings is broken, please ask someone come to fix”. As It is only for ordinary wear and tear, we will need to know how is broken and who made it. You will have to responsible for the repairing fee if you use it improperly and damage. Please bear in mind we are not service apartment, both party have the responsible for repairing and maintenance, such as light bulb broken if you tall enough please help, small water leakage please do as we do not know when it is completely dry for that area. We will check when we receive order, for some small and easy things, it can finish faster if by our house admin. But for those AC, washing machine, shower heater, fridge, cooker or water leakage problems, if we need to call other people, it may take 1-3 months for our past experience, please be patience and not rush us. If you need buy small parts to fix, let us know first, after we agree for price, go for that and keep receipts for us. We can’t wait you in the room to fix things, so we need use spare key to go in your room to fix things on our working time schedule, and you cannot say No.

I) Rent Payment: please send us your receipt record every month. Please use ATM machine for same bank transfer or simply Cash Deposit Machine in HSBC. For those who do by oversea transfer, please do it 3-5 working days before because we take time to wait Money reach our account. PayPal and credit card around 4.7% charges. Please send us receipts for record by email with topic mentioned. Because we have many tenants and some amount is the same, so we cannot define from you. And don’t need to ask us confirm received the payment or not. Because our bank will get many transaction for regarding rent payment at the same time and we do not have enough time to reply and check bank one by one, we will check bank account on a specific date in a month only. We will only contact you if we find something wrong. Rent receipts will email to you by the end of the month for those they requested monthly when contract signed, please send email of your rent payment with topic and ask for receipts back on the email if you need to. If not, we recommend send you in one time for tax end month to save our time.

J) Internet and Wifi: We already test wifi in your room and living room it works well but we cannot guarantee you have wifi access even in bathroom, kitchen or roof. As HK is different from other countries, the material we use to build apartment is cement instead of wood or plaster, so internet signal is easy block by this material. Some tenants they dont understand and thinking is the router problem so they cannot have wifi access. We use normal home router.There are few different routers we now using in more than 30 apartments are work both well ( please noted that our router generate normal speed of signal even our apartment provide 100M to 1000M speed plan. But the router cannot generate the same speed of what we provide but It is enough for you to Facebook, Whatsapp, reading news on website and YouTube etc, for those who require extreme fast speed such as download movie etc, we recommend you don’t reply our router, because you annoyed other roommate use as well, you can connect your LAN cable directly to get that speed or buy your own router) or For those problems relate to supplier, we will call and ask, but please be patience during they find out the reason, and not rush us when to fix it. Also, if you find it is slow, please check whether is you device in old model so it cannot catch up the high speed service provider.

K) Wait and Think: is it really “urgent” or just you think is urgent, we found our roommates once find something wrong immediate Whatsapp or call us and request someone come to fix and say urgent . Please use this word properly. We will do if it is really wrong. But in many case it is just an occasion problem and after 1-2 days, it becomes normal work, in many times is the building apartment problems instead of our unit. Sometime is without water instead of it cannot flush for toilet. Light occasion connection problem instead of broken. And it also maybe someone move some button for cooker, washing machine etc. ( please noted that too many detergent used make washing machine problem occur always ), you may need to pay repair fee if it dues to incorrectly report. So please be patience and think what the problem is, wait and see before request someone come to fix. If it is incorrectly report, and we already ask someone come over but it become normal, maybe you need to pay the inspection fee (as worker charge per time even they just come over but do nothing ).

L) Lock Problems and Keys Loss: If you loss keys or the lock with problems, You must have to contact us first, we will try help or tell you how to do but not guarantee especially mid-night. We have spare key near our apartment. In case you can’t reach us and you rush to go in, You can search online for any Lock Smith service in urgent case. You will have to bear all fees if you loss the keys. The price is around HK$350-400 for “Open Lock” plus HK$250-300 if you need to “Change Lock” for urgent as well. Otherwise only make a copy keys charge will be liable for if you can reach me. Please do not change the lock without our permission if you have difficulties to open the room with the same keys. It may be just some dirt or not smooth. You can simply use WD-40.

M) Single or Couple: We understand you may have bf or gf, so you must be honest telling us you are single or couple to stay the room, we will tell you this room is or not for one or two people before contract signed and the monthly rent will be different because of one more people to use utilities. If the room say is for Single. Please do not bring your partner to sleepover and night visiting. It is because when other roommate rent this apartment, they already understand this point to consider to rent the room, i.e. it is 4 bedroom, he or she will think only need to share with 3 others. If anyone bring partner, it makes the apartment from 4 people increase to max 8 people to use especially washroom. Also, noise at mid-night make other roommates feeling ignoring. It will bother other roommates and they will also give pressure to us. Thanks for co-operation and understanding. We will stop your lease if you do it in this way.

N) Secured Deposit: Many people have the wrong concept regarding security deposit, it is not equal to the last month rent payment. It is for our security if any bills, charges, damage and loss at the handover date, we can deduct from the deposit. So deposit will only give back you on the handover date (your move out date), after we check everything all right, we give back you security deposit and you give us back the keys at the same time. For our rooms, we need 2 month rent (subject to different apartment) for deposit to secure the room.

O) How To Contact Us: Whatsapp only use in urgent case, as We are Corporation Company, our working hours is Monday to Friday 1pm to 5pm. We recommended you to send email instead of WhatsApp us (except urgent case). We cannot standby 24 hours on Whatsapp to answer your questions, we will provide limited reply after working hours. Also we have to forward your enquiry to company other person to know. For example, if you find there is no gas to cook on Friday 7pm and let us know at same time. We will contact our admin to order when they work on Monday 1pm. They will call on that day and it takes 1-2 days to do deliver, so you will have it on next Tuesday or Wednesday. It is apply for all general stuffs and small things as well. Please don’t rush us. Administer will reply you in a reasonable time. Email: ShopRoomHK.CoLiving@gmail.com, also we will reply your email according to the urgent priority. Some roommates email us, then use whatsapp to ask whether to receive email, It is Double make another question, you will make us more busy. One question become 2 question. Please don’t need rush us on whatsapp and ask did you receive? can you tell me when etc. We will do it in our appropriate time, please respect our privacy using whatsapp. No reply on Saturday and Sunday except urgent. Also, Yan is always travelling, so your whatsapp messages probably not in HK time zone when we get it. We don’t want to reply your message when we are on day time but you are sleeping, so highly recommend by email to respect both privacy time.

P) First Come First Served: HK is nearly the most expensive rent in the World, especially Causeway Bay. So we don’t want to leave it vacant because we still have to pay the empty room rent to Landlord. So we will choose the one with immediate decision, match the date to move in and as long as lease period for our first priority. We do not have “Reserved”, confirm secured immediately by contract signed plus deposit paid. Basically, after receive all your information, we will email you a contract in few hours, you will need to reply and sign immediately, and pay deposit on same day or next day to guarantee confirm the room secured, If you can’t do, you need to tell us the reason and when, if you have no any feedback, we treat you give up, and we will release the room to the next visitor.

Q) Lease Rule and stamp duty: Rent payment in HK is in advance, that’s mean you pay rent first before the new month start. It is totally different from some other countries. We look for at least 6 month lease. Discuss case by case for less than 6 month or you find someone to pick your lease. As the room you rent is in sub-let base, and you are renting only one of the room in the whole apartment and it is already furnished and include all utilities, in this situation we do not provide stamp duty service. and all our sub-let rooms not provide this service. So if you need this, you must have to find other apartment and requested this before contract sign. We do not provide short days as well. Please note that it is illegal if anyone receives a sum of money to let you stay in a room for less than 28 days. It is treating as guest room or hotel, they must have the license. http://www.hadla.gov.hk/en/hotels/index.html, many expat they do not know or they don’t care about it because they are thinking they are not HK resident. So you also have to know you are staying some where which is illegal to stay.

R) Wrong Concept: We are not property agency. We are not 24 hours service apartment, we not provide 24 hours service. We help you look for place and team up roommates. Please bear in mind and try to solve small problems by yourself if you know how to do and discuss with roommates first. Why we say that is because we did get WhatsApp message for missing rubbish bin in kitchen, and found it in other roommate room, missing some forks and pot in kitchen, light bulb broken, helper use her cleaning stuffs, their things is moved etc. We hope all roommates also give help to each other, because you all using facilities together. And please give help to stay in home to open door for technician come to fix things. If you are the one to report somethings wrong, please stay in home to let the technician know how is not work. We only help you find worker.

S) AS IT concept: It is mean what you see in the apartment at the moment when you sign contract. Please ask and discuss all issues if you have problems and cannot raise out any issue after sign contract. Because some roommates they don’t understand this point and ask us do many things after contract signed. For example 3 seat sofa instead 2 seat, need more chairs, need more quality of kitchen sets, need mirror, shelf, extra bed sheets, pillows, want change the desk, change mattress, change sofa, change color of light bulb etc. Please noted that we won’t do it once contract signed. But for those who want change the existing furnitures by your own style sets, we are OK with that but you responsible to move that furnitures to our store room. You will have to keep the exiting furnitures, otherwise you have to move the original furnituresfrom storage room back to the original place when you move out. Also, please take extra care when you moving furnitureor change direction (95% from IKEA), which not recommend to move always as it is easily broken. You can buy some small furnitures, but please don’t ask us to buy from you when you move out.

T) Our Team Members: In orderto keep the apartment in good quality standard, we will have general checking for maintenance, helpers come do cleaning, assistant check and keep home use properly, bring new helpers come, anything broken to reporting, check water pipe cleaning, insect prevention, town gas meter record, cleaning stuffs stock checking and replacement, technician come over to fix on requested, gas order etc, we try to do it from 11am to 6pm weekday, and cannot tell exactly what time and which day for our flexibility arrangement. But not include something you special ask for repair, usually this will do at night time.

U) Our Right and Your Privacy: You are not renting from landlord directly. You are renting one of the room and it is in a sub-let base. We are in the middle responsible for you and accountable to landlord. So, we will need to know the condition for the apartment all the time and bring new roommates visit rooms from time to time, and do the above Point T mentioned work. So we have the right to go in apartment without give notice in any case. We will notice you if we use spare key go in your locked room (except turn off AC). And we have the right to go in your room doing any necessary urgent things and take the stuffs out if you do not pay rent after 7 days on the payment date. And we have the right to claim back the service charge caused to take back money.

V) Please Give Help: Our director YAN she may not be in HK all the time, we hope all roommates can give help to hand over things. Eg show the room to potential roommates, clean the room when move out, welcome the new roommate, hand over the keys stuffs etc. HK is a busy city, you can’t imagine how busy of the current roommates, they may not have time to welcome you or take care you, so please try your best to take care yourself. HK is very safe.

W) Referral Scheme: We hope you like our room and our apartment, so we would like you to introduce to your friend. We have the referral scheme for existing roommates. If you going to leave the room when your contract end, you can refer your friend with similar background with, and your roommates also like, to pick you room, it saves our time to visit your room from time to time, and then you will get HK$300 bonus. Subject our approval for final decision.

X) Hygine: Bugs, fly, cockroaches and ants is common in HK, to maintain home clean is rely to all roommates do well daily instead of helper to clean weekly. We are not living inside so we do not know how all roommates do well or not. Sometime is also the previous roommate didn’t keep room clean, so the new roommate thinking is dirty when they move in. If you find Cockroaches and bugs, please take special care for that, if not, they lay eggs and make problem become serious. In case you find that, please go to supermarket to buy medicine to do control and let us know before you go for that. Please remember the kitchen food left rubbish must be take away from home every night. The public rubbish bin usually is just near the stairs exit on the same floor. Only clean used dishes immediately, keep open food well storage with cover, throw away food left daily can prevent this, no other better choice, medicine spray is just for one moment to kill, it is not a long term prevention method.